Transcript
A (0:15)
This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart. We'll continue our conversations about some of the best TV from the past year with a look at a show called the Reluctant Traveler. It might be called that because when the suits at Apple TV called Eugene Levy and suggested he be the host of a travel show, he said, no, thank you. Three seasons later, Eugene has been getting out of his comfort zone. This season sees him tackle his travel bucket list. He celebrates the Day of the Dead in Mexico, attends a crawfish boil in Louisiana, among other globetrotting delights. When he joined us to talk about it, I started by asking Eugene how much travel played a role in his life when he was growing up.
B (1:00)
Not much, because we didn't really do any traveling when I was growing up. We went to the same kind of vacation spot. I'm from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. And we would go to a place called Crystal beach, which was on Lake Erie. It was about maybe an hour and a half drive. And that's what we did for two weeks.
A (1:27)
And that was it.
B (1:28)
And that was it. Not that it was a terrible vacation. It was a terrific vacation because they had a, you know, they had the beach, they had a great amusement park. And as a kid, that was. That's what a holiday was. And that's the only traveling I did.
A (1:45)
So when you first traveled as an adult, what made you a reluctant traveler?
B (1:54)
Generally speaking, everything about it, I mean, it was. Well, it was the travel. It was the, you know, pre 9 11, of course, traveling was a little different, right? You get your ticket, you go to the gate, and then you get on the plane. Now you've got the whole security issue, which is a bit of a pain.
C (2:16)
And.
B (2:17)
And then you get over there and depending on where you are, you've got a jet lag thing you gotta kind of get rid of. If it doesn't hit you there, it hits you when you get back. It's just. And I found that the sightseeing aspect of going on vacation was almost borderline irritating because there were too many things planned in a day to do. And depending on the weather, I mean, if it was unusually, it was in the summer and hot weather. You get tired, you get irritable, and you just wonder why you left home. So, I mean, that was. That was kind of. That's where I was. And I had, you know, a lot of friends and people who did a lot of traveling and talked about their travels and, you know, I would, you know, it was tough to listen to because I didn't really care that Much. And I was just kind of proud of the fact that, you know what? I'd rather not travel. Thank you. Without having had any of the experience of doing it.